August, 2013

Kellogg’s Back to School: ‘BACK TO SCHOOL’ MORE STRESSFUL FOR PARENTS THAN CHILDREN

‘BACK TO SCHOOL’ MORE STRESSFUL FOR PARENTS THAN CHILDREN

Over half of parents (58%) would go back to school for the week if given the opportunity

67% of parents say that their children look forward to going back to school 

Over half (53%) of parents find it difficult to get back into a routine at back to school time with a third (34%) hitting the snooze button more often in September. In contrast two thirds of parents (67%) say that their children look forward to going back to school. Primary school children look forward to going back to school significantly more than secondary school children with almost three quarters (71%) of parents with children in primary school saying that their children look forward to going back to school compared with just 54% of parents with children in secondary school.

The research which was commissioned by Kellogg’s also found that over half (55%) of parents remember looking forward to the new school year as a child. The vast majority of adults are nostalgic about childhood friendships with 85% saying that they remember looking forward to seeing friends after a long break.

Commenting on the research Claire McFerran, Marketing Director, Kellogg’s, said: “Although few of us realise it at the time, school days are some of the best days of your life. Our research shows that most Irish parents recognise the importance of ensuring that their kids have a great back to school experience including making sure that the family gets the best start to the day”.

Back to school is not without its upsets for small children with 26% of parents reporting that they have had back to school tears in their households.  Over three quarters (77%) of parents sooth their child’s ‘back to school tears’ by reassuring them that everything will be ok while over half (56%) of parents ensure that the morning is as stress-free as possible. .

In order to get back into the school routine the majority of parents (79%) will ensure that they are organised. A good breakfast is part of a typical week-day, with nine out of ten (91%) households consuming breakfast cereal. This was followed by toast (37%) and only 1% of families in Ireland will head off to school after a fry-up.

For most families (76%) the morning routine is more relaxed at the weekend with almost two thirds (64%) of these parents eating breakfast later and over half (53%) allowing themselves to be more lenient on what their children eat.

Kellogg’s have created a brightstart sunshine mural to help the students of St Catherine’s Infant School, Cabra, Dublin 7, get the most from the school year ahead.  The staff and pupils at the school devised the concept to welcome their junior infants to the school next week. If children find themselves without someone to play with in the school yard, they are invited to stand in the sun where other children will join them to play.

St Catherine’s is one of four schools involved in the Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Pilot Programme which has been developed by Healthy Food for All and funded by the Kellogg Corporate Citizenship Fund. The Pilot Programme aims to measure the impact a breakfast club will have on the social and academic environment in these schools.

ENDS

Notes:

1. Research was carried out among a nationally representative sample of 512 parents with children aged between 4 and 18 years attending primary / secondary school. Fieldwork was carried out from 18^th – 23^rd July 2013.

For further information:

Murray Consultants: 01 498 0300

Grainne O’Brien: 087 261 0862

Niamh McCarthy: 086 354 0778